East Shore: Coconut Coast
Near the airport
Kauai's first tall ships harbor
lies at the end of our airport road.Coming in to the airport, keep to the left
lane to reach it. Going out,go straight instead of veering to the left to exit.
Ahukini Bay is hauntingly beautiful. Hawaiians still fish here using nets, free
diving, and more modern fishing rods. Think twice before standing out on the
rock wall there; waves come crashing right over it on a regular basis. Sea
turtles come here to feed. On very calm days, it is safe to snorkel/dive here.
Put in to the left of the sea wall and keep an eye on the sea state.
If you turn left out of the
airport you will quickly be in the Kalapaki Bay area. This is not the best
place to swim on island due to the often high bacteria count, but a fun place
to hang out. The Marriott has beach parking and a beach volleyball net.This is
a favorite spot for watching sunsets, whales,cruise ships coming in and out of
Nawiliwili harbor, and outrigger canoes. The restaurant whose deck overlooks
the harbor on the right hand side is JJ's Broiler. Go for lunch, not dinner.
Once the sun sets, go to Nawiliwili Harbor (a short stroll) and eat dinner
upstairs at Dukes (named after Duke Kahanamoku, an original Waikiki Beach Boy),
reservations are recommended, best salad bar on island. Cafe Portofino
(Italian) is another restaurant that should not disappoint. And, be sure to
check the newspaper each day; we have a lot of small concerts here.
From the Wailua River to
the Hills
Between Lihue and Kapaa you can
turn Mauka (towards the mountains) at the site of the now defunct "Blue
Hawaii" Coco Palms Resort; head up Kuamoo Road and stop at the Opaekaa
waterfall at the top of the hill. If you come on weekends there will probably
be a local artist painting the waterfall. Three hundred yards after you turn
right from the waterfall on Kuamoo Road there is a small clearing. This is the
unmarked path tothe pool at the waterfalls, if it resembles Fantasy Island when
you get down there, don't be surprised. Unfortunately a few tourists have
fallen to their death so they make it hard to do this hike. Or hike the Giant!
Park on the right four hundred yards further and around the turn for a great
hike up Sleeping Giant (mountain). You'll see cars parked in front of an
area where horses are grazing. There's a nice picnic area about a mile up the
trail where you can look out over the whole area.
Continue driving up the mountain
and nearly three miles up the road there's a nearly hidden paved right hand
turn that leads to a lovely reservoir with two fishing piers. Great sunset
place, but do bring Skin So Soft, or whatever works for you against mosquitoes
(I setup citronella candles on the rails) and bring beach chairs for a
waterfront sunset view. : ) The next paved right should be the Kuiliau
trailhead, my favorite hike. It has a small paved parking area on the right
side as you head up the mountain toward the arboretum. The trail guides you up
to the spine of the ridge where you can see mountains to your left and the sea
down below to the right- this is not to be missed. Try to go on a drier day;
this trail becomes really slick &muddy after a heavy rain. I love the
mountains in this part of the island.
Lydgate Park
For your first snorkeling
adventure turn at the Aloha Beach Resort, just a bit to the airport side of the
Wailua River bridge, to access Lydgate Park. There is a perennially safe spot
for swimming and snorkeling inside the lava rock walled sea pool at Lydgate:
gentle waters, pretty fish, ancient Hawaiian ruins to tour, it's a nice place
to wind down at the end of the day. Our community recently came together to
build a second playground area for Lydgate; walk down the beach to the right as
you're facing it, and you'll come upon our bridge and decked playscape. This
section of beach is gorgeous and often deserted. Some say it is safe to swim in
front of the golf course near their tall wall, but we've not tried it - proceed
with caution. About ten people suffer death by drowning every year here.Stick
to swimming at Lydgate till you have your gear checked out! And, stick to
swimming at beaches with lifeguards. If you must swim in the ocean where there
are no lifeguards, please wear fins.
The new restaurant on east shore is Lava Lava. It is a lot of fun with tables and sitting areas right on the sand. Reservations for table outside are recommended, the sitting areas are first come, first serve.
Go to the Coconut Marketplace. Yes, it really is open, but they have been remodeling for years. Walk behind it out to the beach. Starting at the Kauai Sands, there's a
1/2-mile walk along the shoreline. It's a romantic stroll at night. All the
hotels along that strip pitched in to make and maintain the walkway. Sometimes
monk seals come onto the beach for the night. Do plan on taking a moonlight
walk on the beach, or several beaches. Near the end of the 1/2 mile walk is a
restaurant called the Hukilau; excellent seafood, steak,fresh salads, and a
robust wine list await you there; we highly recommend this restaurant.
Kapaa to Kealia
From Coconut Marketplace, turn
right, and you'll be into Kapaa's primary shopping area, with three grocery
stores ( depending on how you count) and more. On your left you will see
Foodland where they have a decent
Indian restaurant. The Kauai Village shopping center which is anchored by
Safeway.
In Kauai Village
there is a cluster of restaurants: Subway, Papaya's organic food, Panda
Express, to name a few. Papaya's is a health food store and hot/cold deli. It's
a good place to get a bowl of soup, a touch of tabouli, hummus, or falafel as
you're passing through. For sodas, water bottles and picnic supplies consider
Cost U Less, a quarter mile down the road in the direction of North Shore
(going away from the airport), because they can save you a little bit of money.
I try to shop at Safeway very
carefully, their fish prices are often competitive, but their produce is very
high. Head past our three grocery stores, and you'll soon be in "old Kapaa
town" with some fun local stores to do window shopping. Best informal food
in old Kapaa town: Pono Market. Try their sushi/sashimi/poke. It's top quality,
fresh, delicious and it goes fast. The scallop salad is my personal favorite,
but it's all good. Pick a few of their concoctions, grab some chopsticks and
wander out to the beach for a fun picnic. The farmer's market is on Wednesday
at 3:00 in Kapaa. Go to the coconut man's stand, and buy an icy cold coconut
with a straw in it. (5.50 for a large one; ask for two straws and share!) When
you've sipped all the coconut milk, take it back to him for whacking so you can
proceed to eat the fresh coconut inside.
Some of the classic places to eat are
Bubba Burgers and Olympic Cafe, neither is very good, but if you like road
front car watching dining, you might enjoy. Mermaids isn't for everyone, but I
like their Ahi wrap and get it to do, walk around to the ocean and sit down and
eat it right on the grass, the liquor store across the street has great prices
on very cold waterbottles. My favorite, by far though is Chicken in a Barrel.
It is next to the recreation center and we love to get some plates and sit by
the ocean. Highly recommended.
Breakfast is often enjoyed at Country Kitchen. It isn't our cup of team, but many a Sunday morning there is a waiting line. Next door is Hemingway, a coffee shop that has been expanding their food offerings steadily and they speak gluten free.
Continuing north from old Kapaa
town, drive a few more blocks past the soccer field and Kapaa library and park
on the right side. This is one of several access point to a beach trail that
continues closely along the coastal shoreline almost to Anahola. There are few
amenities alongside the path; plan on carrying water. The first surf beach
you'll see is Kealia where there is a bathroom and water fountain. This is a
good place to watch surfers; do not attempt to swim here unless you enter on
the far left and swim near the rock wall on your left. This is a beautiful
spot, particularly for walking and ocean viewing. However,wicked waves and
currents abound here. Park and watch the Octopus divers while sipping morning coffee.
Art Night Kapaa
In Kapaa, on the first Saturday
of the month is Art Walk Night. Everybody comes out for it, hopefully we will see
you there.
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